New Delhi: Sprinter Animesh Kujur from Odisha broke the national 100-metre record by clocking 10.18 seconds at the Dromia International Sprint and Relays Meet held in Vari, Greece on Saturday. With this performance, Kujur became the first Indian to go below the 10.20-second mark, surpassing the previous record of 10.20 seconds set earlier this year by Gurindervir Singh.
The 22-year-old, hailing from Sundargarh district in Odisha, finished ahead of Greek sprinters Sotirios Garaganis and Theodoros Vrontinos. Though his start was not the sharpest, Kujur displayed an explosive final phase to win the race and script history. The wind assistance during the race was well within the legal limit at +1.7 m/s, making the time eligible for national record status.
Kujur, who has been steadily rising through the ranks, had earlier rewritten the 200-metre national record twice this season — clocking 20.40 seconds in April and then improving it to 20.32 seconds at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea in May.
“It’s a proud moment for Indian athletics. Animesh has consistently raised the bar this year and his timing in Greece shows he is ready for the international stage,” an Athletics Federation of India official told India Today.
A product of Odisha’s growing athletics infrastructure, Kujur has been training and competing on the European circuit this season to gain exposure to top-tier competition. Last month, he clocked 20.27 seconds in the 200 metres at a meet in Geneva, though that effort was wind-assisted and did not count for record purposes.
His latest feat not only cements his place as India’s fastest man but also boosts his chances ahead of upcoming global meets, including the World Athletics Championships in Paris and the 2026 Asian Games. It also marks a significant step forward for Indian sprinting, traditionally seen as an area where the country lagged behind global standards.
According to data cited in the Indian Express, the previous 100-metre national record of 10.20 seconds was set at the Indian Grand Prix in March this year. Kujur’s new mark of 10.18 seconds makes him one of the top sprinters in Asia this season and places him on a trajectory that few Indian athletes have achieved before.
As the athletics fraternity celebrates his achievement, many now believe that with continued progress and international training, the long-held dream of an Indian sprinter breaking the 10-second barrier may not be too far away.
